The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has postponed indefinitely its Section on Public Interest and Development Law (SPIDEL) Conference scheduled for Sokoto between May 22 and 26, over the lynching of a student of the Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto State, Miss Deborah Samuel.
NBA President Olumide Akpata, who disclosed this in a statement, said the postponement was not only for the safety of the conferees and guests in the wake of the volatile security situation in the state, but also as a mark of respect for Miss Samuel’s memory.
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It would be recalled that Miss Samuel, a 200-Level Home Economics student, was gruesomely murdered and her corpse set ablaze allegedly by her co-students at the College for alleged blasphemy.
The NBA President said it was “noteworthy that the NBA Section on Public Interest and Development Law (NBA-SPIDEL) held its 2019 Annual Conference in Aba, Abia State while its next conference (2021) was held in the ancient city of Ibadan, Oyo State after the 2020 conference was canceled on account of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Having held the two annual conferences in the old Eastern and Western regions, the Executive Committee of NBA-SPIDEL was unanimous in its resolution that the 2022 Annual Conference should be held in the Northern region, consistent with the NBA’s policy of inclusiveness. I am aware that NBA-SPIDEL sought to bequeath hosting rights on any willing State in the Northern region, and the hosting right was eventually given to Sokoto State when its Governor, H.E Aminu Waziri Tambuwal (Life Bencher) agreed that the Sokoto State Government would be a headline sponsor for the Conference.
“As a result, I led a delegation to pay a courtesy visit on the Sokoto Governor to finetune preparations for the Conference, and during our meeting, the Sokoto State Government renewed its commitment to ensure a serene and safe environment to host a hitch-free Conference.
“The Executive Committee of NBA-SPIDEL led by Dr. Monday O. Ubani and the Central Planning Committee led by Dr. Muiz Banire, SAN, worked round the clock and held extended meetings to finalise plans towards delivering a best-in-class conference. Unfortunately, it was in the middle of all these that we received the sad news of the gruesome killing of Miss Deborah Yakubu, whose murder threw the entire nation into shock and disbelief.
“The NBA is deeply worried not just by the chilling news of the murder of Miss Deborah Yakubu, but also by the sudden and sad turn of events and the deteriorating security situation in Sokoto State. As such, having critically reviewed the current security condition in Sokoto, it has become apparent that we cannot guarantee the safety of our guest speakers, delegates and other stakeholders that have committed to attend the NBA-SPIDEL’s conference which was designed to put the State in the global spotlight for the duration of the conference and beyond.
“Accordingly, the Executive Committee of NBA-SPIDEL came to the painful decision to request, and I have approved, that the 2022 NBA-SPIDEL Annual Conference be postponed not only for the safety of our conferees and guests, but as a mark of respect for the memory of the slain Miss Deborah Yakubu.
“The NBA acknowledges the efforts put in by the Sokoto State Government towards the conference which is now beset by the prevailing security situation. While we recognise that the Sokoto State Government has imposed a curfew to stem the unrest, the NBA urges the State Government to fully collaborate with the Federal Government to initiate measures — and where necessary deploy its coercive instruments — to restore peace and order to the State, safeguard lives and property and dissuade vandalism and impunity.”
The NBA also referenced other “unfortunate developments” around the country in the past week, noting that they had “trivialised the sanctity of human lives, exposed the weakness in our security architecture, tested our collective resolve as a people, and significantly threatened the unity of Nigeria as a nation.”
Akpata said: “In the South-East, there were reports of the gruesome killing of security personnel by the now notorious ‘unknown gunmen’ and other non-state actors; in Lagos, a young man (simply identified as David) was reportedly lynched by commercial motorcyclists around Lekki; and in Sokoto, there is the unfortunate and heart-wrenching murder of Miss Deborah Yakubu, a 200-level student of Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto by some of her school mates for alleged blasphemy.
“The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) is saddened by these developments and unequivocally condemns extrajudicial killings in any part of the country as reprehensible, barbaric and unacceptable.”
With particular reference to the Sokoto incident and its aftermath, including riots, destruction of properties and a curfew, the NBA noted that some arrests had been made by the Police and prosecution had begun.
Nevertheless, it expressed worry “by yet-to-be confirmed reports reaching us that the suspects have been charged with mere breach of public peace in an episode that cut short Deborah’s life in her prime.
“The NBA is strongly opposed to a banalisation of the situation, and if these reports are true, then we call on the Sokoto State Government to immediately rethink its prosecution strategy and file charges that truly reflect the gravity of the situation.”
